Printing-press.



No. 795,274. PA'IBNTED JULY 25, 1905. J. L. FIRM.

PRINTING PRESS.

APPLIOATION FILED APB..9,1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

s QQ I s 0517166565: l @Zn/@2770? Y @L am No. 795,274. PATENTED JULY 25, 1905. J. L. I'IRM. PRINTING PRESS.

APPLIOATIN FILED APRS, 1903 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENTy OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. FIRM, OF BERIVYN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PRINTING-PRESS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patenteduuly 25, 1905.

Application lel April 9, 1903. Serial No. 151,820.

Be it known that I, J osnrH L. FIRM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berwyn, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to rotary printingmachines which are adapted to perfect a plurality of webs, associate the perfected webs together into one product, and fold and deliver it in the form of a newspaper having the desired number of pages; and its object is to provide anew and improved form of printingmachine in which a plurality of webs may be printed upon form and impression cylinders the forms on the said form-cylinders being' arranged with the column-rules parallel to the axes of the respective form-cylinders andthe several webs thus perfected being brought together in registry, folded longitudinally along' the central margin, and severed upon every transverse margin in s'uch a way that a newspaper may be formed whose product is not confined to sizes which are a multiple of four pages. Heretofore in machines of this character-that is to say, printing-machines which were built in such a manner that the forms were placed upon the form-cylinders with their column-rules parallel with the axes of the form-cylinders-it has been necessary whenever a product was desired whose pages should be other than a multiple of four to slow down one or more of the decks of printing-couples to half the normal speed, which, as is well known, diminishes by that amount the productive capacity of the press, and this has been one of the disadvantages of building machines in this way-that is to say, adapted to receive forms with the column-rules parallel with the axes of the cylinders. On the other hand, machines of this character have advantages which are recognized. The form and impression cylinders, for instance, may be made of considerably smaller diameter, as the width of the sheet of the newspaper is in all ordinary forms considerably less than the length. This renders the machine much less heavy and expensive, and there are other advantages which are known and which it is not necessary to detail further here.

It is another one object in my invention to provide a machine which will produce a newspaper of a form capable of being easily and readily read and whose product may consist of a number of pages other than multiples of four and to produce this upon a machine in which the column-rules of the forms are placed longitudinally of the form-cylinders`that is to say, parallel with their axes-without slowing down any of the decks of printing mechanism. I attain this object as hereinafter described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the printingpress with folding and delivery mechanism. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine from the folder end. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, being a diagram of a newspaper of sixteen pages produced upon the press and showing the position of the column-rules; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail, being a sketch of a newspaper of four pages produced on the machine in order to illustrate the positions of the heads of the pages and of the column-rules.

Referring to the drawings, the machine is composed of four decks of printing-couples A, B, C, and D, .which are adapted `to print, respectively, webs E, F, Cr, and H.

Deck A consists of two sets of printing-couples, each composed of one form and one impression cylinder. 6 7 indicate form-cylinders, and 8 9 impression-cylinders, coacting, respectively, with the printing-cylinders and 7, all mounted in the framework 10 and driven by gearing' 11 in any well-known and ordinary manner. 12 13 indicate ink-drums supplied, respectively, with ink from ink-fountains 14 15 and provided with the usual inking-rolls 18 19. As is best shown in Fig. 2, the form-cylinders 6 7 are of such size as to receive upon each semicircumference two forms of one page each. The forms, as isA best shown in Fig. 2, are placed with their column-rules parallel with the axes of the respective form-cylinders and are placed so that the forms on each semicircumference of the same form-cylinder have their heads pointing in the same direction. For instance, as is shown in Fig'. 2, form-cylinder 6, which in the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 prints the second and the next to the last page of the paper,'has the forms so placed upon each semicircumference that the column-rules run parallel with the axes of the form-cylinders, with the page-heads both pointing toward the gearing side of the pi'ess, while forni-cylinder 7, which in the arrangement shown in Fig'. l prints the lirst and the last page of the paper, has the forms so placed upon each semi'cii'cumference that their column-i'ules ai'e pai'allel with the axes of the cylinder, with the page-heads pointing away frein the g'earing side of the press. This ai'- i'angement of the forms pi'oduces, as I will hereinafter more fully describe, a paper in legalcap foi'mffthat is to say, one which will be read down the iirst page from the central margin to the betteln, and, the leaf being turned in the manner of legal-cap, the second page will be read from the edge of the sheet down toward the central margin, and so on. All this, liowevei', will be iiioi'e fully desci'ibed hereinafter. 2O 2l 22 indicate guide-rollers; 23, a pasting mechanism adapted to supply a line of paste longitudinally along' the central margin of the web E upon its under side. 24 indicates a guide-roller. 25 indicates a longitudinal-folding mechanism consisting of an internal guide or 'tl -shaped former 26 and a pair of cooperatingextei'nal turners or folding-rolls 27 23. 29 indicates a di'iven i'ollei' at the base of the il-shaped former 26. The pulleys 30, of the usual form and construction, coopei'ate in the usual manner with the i'oller 29 to feed the paper to the longitudinalfolding mechanism 25. 3l indicates a second longitudinalfolding mechanism consisting of an internal guide er ll-shaped foi'mer 32 and external turnei's or folding-rolls 33 34. 35*l indicates a driven roller placed at the base of the longitudinal folder 32. 36hL indicates pulleys mounted en a shaft 37" and of the usual form and consti'uction and adapted te cooperate with the rollei' 35 in feeding the paper to the longitudinal-folding mechanism 3l. rlhe rollei' 35LL is parallel with the external turners 27 23, and the 'l-shaped former 32 points at right ang'les with the tf-shaped former 26. 35 indicates a cuttingcylinder, and 36 a combined cutting' and folding cylinder. 37 indicates cutter-blades of any well-known form and description operating in any well-known way and cooperating with the cutting-cylindei' 35, so as to sever the webs of paper delivered to the cylinders 35 and 36 by the longitudinalfolding' mechanism 3l upon every transverse margin. 33 indicates a pair of folding-rollers placed near the cutting' and folding cylinder 36. 39 indicates folding-blades mounted in the cutting and folding cylinder 36 and open ated in any wellknown way to feld the paper transversely of its i'un. As the cutting and folding cylinders 35 and 36 may be of any wellknown form and description and form no part as suehef my pi'csent invention, it is believed it is not necessary to describe them more fully here. 40 indicates an S-l'ly of the well-known forni and description which rotates in the direction indicated by the ai'i'ow on Fig. l and operates to deliver the folded papers produced at the base of the former 26.

as hereinafter described to slow-moving tapes 4l, also of any well-known and approved form and description.

Referring to deck B, 6" and 7 ai'e form-cylindei's adapted to receive plates or forms of one page each, two on each semicircuniference, and placed in the same manner as above described when describing deck A. 3" and 9" indicate impression-cylinders which cooperate, respectively, with the form-cylinders 6" and 7". l2" and 13" indicate ink-drums which are supplied with the usual ink-fountains 14" and 15" and ink-rolls 13" and 19". 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46 indicate gL'iide-rollei's. indicates a paster adapted to supply a longitudinal line of paste to the central longitudinal margin of the web F.

Referring to deck C, 6" and 7C indicate formcylinders, and 8C and 9 impression-cylindei's adapted to cooperate, respectively, with forincyliiiders 6 and 70. l2C and 13c indicate inkdi'unis which are supplied with ink through ink-fountains 14 and l5u and ink-rolls 13c and 19'. The form-cylinders 6 and 7C are like the form-cylinders 6 and 7 and receive forms in the same way as above described. 47, 48, 49, 50, and 5l indicate guide-rollers. 52 indicates a paster adapted to supply a longitudinal. line of paste te the central longitudinal margin of the web G on its under side.

Referring to deck D, 6(1 and 7l1 indicate forincylinders, and 3d and 9d iiiipression-cylinders adapted to cooperate, respectively, with formcylinders 6d and 7 d. l2d and 13d indicate inkdruins supplied with ink through ink-fountains 14l and l5d and ink-rollers 13d and 191. 53, 54, 55, 56, and 57 indicate guide-rollers.

lV hen ruiming to the full capacitythat is to say, ruiming to produce a paper of sixteen pages-in the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings the forms upon one seiiiicircumference of each foi'm-cylinder will be duplicates of the fornis upon the opposite semicircuiiifei'ence ofthe same form-cylinder. Teb E, passing' over rollers 2O 21, passes downward between form-cylinder 6 and impressioii-cylinder 8, where it is printed upon its under side with pages 2 and l5. The web then passing partially around iinpression-cyl indei' 3 and ovei' and partially around impression-cylinder 9 passes between iinpressioncylinder 9 and form-cylinder 7, where it is printed upon the other side with pages l and 16. The web then passes partially under andv ai'ound the i'oller 22, over pastel' 23, where it receives a line of paste upon its undei' side along' the central longitudinal margin, ovei' guide-rollei's 24 to i'oller 29 and pulleys 30 leb F, pass ing over guide-rollers 42 43, passes downward between form-cylinder 6" and iinpressioireylinder 8", where it is printed upon the under side of the web with pages 4 and 13. Fassing partially around and undei' impressioncylinder 9", upward, over and partially around impression-cylinder 9b, it passes downward between impression-cylinder 9b and formcylinder 7b, where it is printed upon its other upper side with pages 3 and 14, the web thence passing' downward under guide-roller 44, over pasters 58, where it receives a line of paste on its under side upon its central longitudinal margin, upward between rollers 45 46, over roller 29, to meet web Ein register. IV eb G passes over rollers 47 48, downward between form-cylinder 6c and impression-cylinder 8c, where it is printed upon its under side with pages 6 and 11. Passing thence under and partially around impression-cylinder 8, over and partially around impressioncylinder 9, the web passes between impression-cylinder 9c and form-cylinder 7, where it is printed upon its other or upper side with pages 7 and l2. Passing' thence under roller 49, through pasting mechanism 52, where it receives a line of paste upon its central longitudinal margin, web G passes between guiderollers 50 5l to meet the other webs in registry at the roller 29. Veb H passes over rollers 53 54, upward between form-cylinder 6d and impression-cylinder 8d, where it is printed upon its under side with pages 8 and 9. Passing thence under and upward around impression-cylinder 8d, over and partially around impression-cylinder 9, it passes between impression-cylinder 9d and form cylinder 7d, where it is printed upon its upper side with pages 3 and lO. Passing thence downward and under roller 55, under roller 56, and between rollers 56 and 57, web H passes upward to meet the other webs in registry at roller 29. All four webs thus associated in registry pass downward over the former 26 and between folding-rolls 27 Q8, where the webs are folded longitudinally of their run, and along' the central longitudinal margin of the web, which, however, forms the margin between the top and bottom of the pages, as hereinafter described. The webs thus folded once longitudinally of their run are led, as is best shown in Fig. 3, between the roller 35 and pulleys 36u to the second longitudinal? folding mechanism 3l, and passing' downward over the V-shaped former 32 and between the external turners or rollers 33 34 the webs are folded a second time longitudinally. Thence folded twice longitudinally the webs pass between the cutting-cylinder 35 and cutting and folding cylinder 36, where they are severed transversely upon every transverse margin and are thence folded by the foldingblades 39 at right angles to the two longitudinal folds between the folding-rollers 38 and delivered to the S-fly 40 and by it to the slowmoving tapes 41. The paper thus produced when all the folds except the rst are opened out will be in the form shown in Fig. 4, which, as said above, is in legal-cap formhthat is to say, page l will be read down from the folded margin to the edge of the sheet. The paper will then be turned over in the same way in which legal-cap paper is turned, and page 2 upon the opposite side of the leaf from page l will be read downward from the edge toward the central margin, and the page-heading of page l will be at the central margin, the page-heading of page 2 at the edge, as shown at Fig. 5, and so on through the paper-that is to say, the odd-numbered pages will all have their heads at the central margin-that is, at the longitudinal fold lirst produced in the webs-and the even-numbered pages will have their heads at the edge of the sheets and will read downward toward the central margins, exactly as documents written upon both sides of legal-cap paper are read.

In case it is desired to produce a fourteenpage paper three of thel webs will be run two pages wide, and the fourth web, preferably the bottom one, will be of half-width-that is to say, will be as wide as the page-is longand printed upon one end of the form-cylinders, the forms, of course, being omitted from the other end. In case a twelve-page paper is desired three only of the decks will be used; but they will be used upon paper two pages wide, as above described. In case a ten-page paper is desired three decks will be used, two of them printing from two-pagewide webs and the other, preferably the lower one of the three,.employed from a halfwidth web.

It will be obvious from the above description that the press as embodied in the drawings will print four-page, six-page, eightpage, ten-page, twelve-page, fourteen-page, and sixteen-page papers, as may be desired.

I have shown and described my invention as embodied in a four-deck press. It is of course obvious that the number of decks might be varied and might be either more or less than four without departing from the object of my invention.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a plurality of printing mechanisms each adapted to perfect a web of paper, and each composed of coacting formcylinders and impression-cylinders, the said form-cylinders being adapted to receive on ,each semicircumference page-forms whose cylinders and impression-cylinders, the said form-cylinders being adapted to receive on each seniicircumference page-forms whose column-rules run parallel to the axes of the form-cylinders, and with those page-heads on the 'form-cylinder which prints one side ot' its web pointingl in one direction across the web, and with those page-heads on the form-cylinder which prints the other side of the web pointing in thc opposite direction across the web, ol mechanism adapted to bring the several Webs together and associate them in register, a longitudinal-folding mechanism adapted to fold the associated webs longitudinally of the run of the Webs between the pages, and cutting mechanism adapted to sever the associated Webs on every margin transverse the webs, substantially asdescribed. JOSEPH L. FIRA/l. lVitnesscs:

C. E. PIGKARD, MINNIE A. HUNTER. 

